Troy Stecher | Defenseman | #51

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Troy Stecher (undisclosed) returned to the lineup Tuesday against the Ducks, and he finished scoreless with a minus-1 rating, two shots on goal, a minor penalty and a hit across 16:33 of ice time.

Stecher had been dealing with a knee injury for most of December, but he was able to return on New Year's Eve only to suffer an undisclosed injury after a hard hit against the Kings. He didn't appear to show any ill effects of his injuries in this one, finishing the game. If you normally depend upon him in deeper fantasy leagues, it appears safe to plug him back into the active lineup. Jan 3 - 1:41 AM

Troy Stecher scored his first of the season Saturday but left in the third period and did not return.

Stecher had not scored in 39 games dating back to last season and the goal Saturday in a loss to the Kings was only his third point in 25 games this season. Stecher was injured when hit by Jake Muzzin in the third period. An update should be available either today or Monday. Stay tuned. Sun, Dec 31, 2017 09:42:00 AM

Neither the Canucks or Coyotes could get much of anything going offensively tonight. Bo Horvat finished tied with Clayton Keller for a game-high five shots on goal, but none of them could crack the back of the net. Horvat sits at 37 points and needs three goals to eclipses last season's total of 20 with 13 games remaining.

Brandon Sutter picked up a goal with an assist and a plus-2 rating while taking a team-high six shots on goal Tuesday against Colorado.

Not only was the former Carolina Hurricane proficient on the offensive end, he was a beast in the faceoff circle with 16 wins in 25 attempts. He posted a plus-2 rating for just the second time this season, and first time at home. Sutter posted two assists in that game on Oct. 20 in Buffalo, which was also the last time he had a multi-point performance. Needless to say, he remains useful only in the deepest of fantasy formats.

Daniel Sedin took some positives from Vancouver's 3-0 loss to Anaheim on Wednesday.

"We’re looking for goals for sure, but we’re doing the right things," Sedin said. "The pucks aren’t going in, but I like that we were in it together tonight and I was proud of the guys. We wanted to be part of this game and show up for each other. We can take a lot from this game. We weren’t backing away, we were in there and doing it together. That’s a good sign and we just have to keep this up for the rest of the season and be positive." All that being said, Vancouver has now been shutout of three consecutive games, which is just terrible by any standard and under any set of circumstances. Of course, the Canucks have no hope of reaching the playoffs and at this point learning lessons might have more benefit than actually winning games.

Loui Eriksson will miss the remainder of the season due to a fractured rib.

Eriksson had 10 goals and 23 points in 50 contests this season. He inked a six-year, $36 million contract in the summer of 2016 and so far that deal has been a huge disappointment for Vancouver. Hopefully he'll be healthy next season and bounce back, but we can't recommend betting on that happening in fantasy leagues.

Boucher might spend the rest of the campaign with Vancouver given that Brock Boeser (back) is unlikely to return before the end of the season. Boucher has 25 goals and 46 points in 45 AHL contests, but he's projected to play on Vancouver's fourth line on Wednesday.

Brendan Leipsic posted two goals with an assist and a plus-1 rating in Monday's overtime win against the Islanders.

Leipsic picked up three minor penalties across 16:13 of ice time in the overtime victory. He is fitting in rather nicely since coming over from the Golden Knights at the trade deadline, posting two goals with five points and a plus-2 rating with eight PIM in three outings. It appears he is going to register 16-18 minutes of ice time in the Pacific Northwest and he is worth stashing away in deeper pools if you have the roster flexibility.

Don't be surprised if the Vancouver Canucks send Tyler Motte to the minors.

Motte was a healthy scratch Sunday and the Canucks want him to play in the AHL playoffs and gain valuable experience. "We papered him down and we want him to play meaningful games in Utica," coach Travis Green said of making the winger eligible for the AHL playoffs. "We want him to play meaningful games in Utica. We have to sit him out four games or if we put him down to Utica for playoff games, he’d have to go through waivers. He understands. It’s part of the business."

Darren Archibald scored his first goal of the season in Tuesday's 5-4 setback against the Avalanche.

It was the first goal in six games this season for Archibald, and just the second of his NHL career spanning 22 contests. For now, the left winger is simply worth monitoring for fantasy purposes. Only if he is able to stick with the big club and see regular ice time would he be worth a fantasy roster spot in deeper pools.

Boeser was diagnosed with a soft tissue injury and a small non-structural, non-displaced fracture of the transverse process in his lower back. He was hurt Monday night when fell awkwardly into the Canucks' partially open bench door. Boeser's impressive rookie season has likely come to an end with this injury. He has 29 goals and 55 points in 62 games.

Sam Gagner picked up a couple of assists in a 5-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

Coming off a 50-point season with Columbus, Gagner has failed to make much of an impression in his first year with Vancouver. Tonight was just the second time all season that the 28-year-old forward picked up multiple points in a game. With just seven goals and 27 points in 64 games this season, Gagner has no fantasy upside. The Canucks are locked in for another two seasons at $3.15 million per season.

Jake Virtanen went for a goal, an assist and a plus-2 rating with four shots on goal and five hits across 14:48 of ice time in Monday's game against the Islanders.

Virtanen put the brakes on a six-game scoreless drought with just his second multi-point game since Dec. 21. Despite the multi-point game, he has managed just seven goals and 15 points this season and his fantasy appeal remains rather minimal.

Derek Dorsett will not return to Vancouver's active roster due to health reasons and risks associated with playing, according to GM Jim Benning.

Dorsett has been advised by doctors to stop playing hockey after it was revealed that he has a cervical disc herniation adjacent and separate to his previous fusion. "I'm devastated by the news. It will take a long time for this to truly sink in," said Dorsett. "As hard as it was to hear, Dr. Watkins' diagnosis is definitive. There is no grey area, and it gives me clarity to move forward. I have a healthy young family and a long life of opportunities ahead of me. Hockey taught me a lot and it will help me be successful in whatever I choose to do in the future." We wish him the best in whatever he decides to do next.

Nikolay Goldobin picked up a power-play goal midway through the second period of Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss against the Avalanche.

Goldobin finished with the goal, an assist and a plus-1 rating over 12:48 of ice time. The right winger entered with just two goals and four points through his first 16 games, so it will take a few more performances like this before fantasy owners can trust him outside of the very deepest of pools.

Alexander Edler went scoreless in Monday's 3-0 loss at Los Angeles, but he was able to come up with two hits and a blocked shot.

Edler ranked third in the NHL in blocked shots (165) and he has dished out plenty of hits (135), too. In fact, he is one of just six players in the NHL with at least 130 blocked shots and 130 hits this season. He is invaluable to fantasy owners in pools rewarding those two categories, especially since he provides a healthy amount of points (26) and penalty minutes (54) through 58 games.

Chris Tanev has confirmed he'll play tonight against the San Jose Sharks.

Tanev has missed 17 games due to a leg injury and we'll be looking to break a goalless drought that spans all the way to Oct. 12. He's a solid top-four defenseman that should be left on the waiver wire.

Michael Del Zotto was scoreless with three shots on goal, three blocked shots and five hits over 21:33 of ice time in Wednesday's 3-0 loss at Anaheim.

Del Zotto has managed just six goals and 19 points, so he doesn't take up a roster spot for his offensive ability. However, he has managed 210 hits with 115 blocked shots over 71 outings. He is one of just nine NHL players to dish out 200 or more hits so far this season.

Troy Stecher (undisclosed) returned to the lineup Tuesday against the Ducks, and he finished scoreless with a minus-1 rating, two shots on goal, a minor penalty and a hit across 16:33 of ice time.

Stecher had been dealing with a knee injury for most of December, but he was able to return on New Year's Eve only to suffer an undisclosed injury after a hard hit against the Kings. He didn't appear to show any ill effects of his injuries in this one, finishing the game. If you normally depend upon him in deeper fantasy leagues, it appears safe to plug him back into the active lineup.

Biega has been a healthy scratch for the last two games, but he will play now that Erik Gudbranson (shoulder) is done for the rest of the year. Biega has six assists and 60 shots in 32 appearances with Vancouver.

Derrick Pouliot was scoreless with a pair of shots on goal and five blocked shots with a hit Monday in Colorado.

Pouliot hasn't done much on the offensive end, posting just two goals with 16 points and a minus-13 rating across 42 games, but he has logged 51 hits with 85 blocked shots to endear himself to fantasy owners in deeper pools.

Vancouver has announced that Gudbranson has been removed from the active roster. He was initially injured on Nov. 22 and missed 12 games. Gudbranson was able to return after successful rehabilitation and treatment, but surgery has been determined to be in his best interest now.

Jacob Markstrom allowed four goals on 29 shots in a 5-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

"I was awful tonight and I need to be better" said Markstrom. "Their goalie was better than I was..." A once highly-regarded prospect, Markstrom has failed to make a serious NHL impact since being acquired for Roberto Luongo back in 2014. The Swedish netminder will see his record fall to 18-25-6 with a 2.77 goals-against-average and .910 save percentage.

Nilsson was peerless in the first period before letting in goals to Tyler Toffoli and Anze Kopitar in the second. Tanner Pearson also got him in the third period. He has been tagged for three or more goals in five straight appearances. It begs the question - could the Canucks live without Nilsson? They can't give anymore.